Saturday, April 7, 2012

Pulitzer and World Press Photographic Awards

Some years ago I heard that the admission test for entry to a press photography course contained the question “If you had the opportunity of saving women and children from a sinking ferry, or to take a Pulitzer prize winning photograph of it, what shutter speed and aperture would you use?”

It may be black humour but it contains a very real truth, that news photographers frequently need to put aside personal feelings and emotions to photograph the events, the suffering and the sadness that they are witness to.

These days, when nearly all mobile phone include a camera, every person has the potential to be a news photographer.

The Pulitzer Prize for Photography, started in 1942, and the World Press Photo of the Year, started in 1955, offer not only fascinating photographs but insights into history and the changing world.

From time to time I will post the winning photographs and the stories behind them, commencing with the Pulitzer in 1942.

You may not agree with all of the awards, I certainly didn't. There are a number that left me wondering whether the photographs awarded the Pulitzer and World Press awards were the best available.

1 comment:

The National Press Photographers Association, a professional society that promotes the highest standards in visual journalism, acknowledges concern for every person's need both to be fully informed about public events and to be recognized as part of the world in which we live.